THE MEDLAR, APPLE, AND QUINCE. 135 



united carpels. These last may now be easily- 

 separated from one another. If one of them be ex- 

 amined, it will be found to consist of a soft, fleshy 

 outer part, of the same nature as the receptacle, 

 with a hard stone in the centre. If the stone be 

 now broken, it will be found to contain a single 

 seed. I may here remark that if a needle or pin be 

 thrust into the centre of one of these swellings at 

 the top of the fruit, it will go in easily and come 

 out at the other side ; but if the pin be inserted in 

 the hollow opposite the sepal, it will at once come 

 against the stone. From this it is evident that the 

 swelling is composed of the contiguous halves of two 

 carpels. 



The Apple. — If the explanation I have now given 

 of the structure of the Medlar be correct, we need 

 have no difficulty with the Apple, for the corres- 

 ponding parts are easily recognised in both fruits. 

 On dividing an apple lengthwise through the middle, 

 and examining the cut surfaces, pale-green lines 

 may be seen dividing the surface into a central and 

 two outer portions. If another Apple be cut cross- 

 wise, a wavy line will be seen marking out the same 

 divisions. Without attempting to explain the signi- 

 ficance of these green lines, which are fibro- vascular 

 bundles, we may say generally that the outer part, 

 i.e., the bulk of the edible part of the Apple, is re- 

 ceptacle, and the part within the green lines carpels. 

 As in the Medlar, there are five of these, united by 

 their sides, each consisting of two parts — an outer 

 fleshy part like the receptacle, and an inner firm 

 part. But while in the Medlar the inner portion is 

 stony, here it is like parchment. Now this parch- 

 ment-like portion is often described as the carpel, 

 while it is merely the innermost layer or endocarp. 

 To call this carpel is as incorrect as to describe a 

 plum-stone as the fruit of the plum-tree. 



The Quince.— Nearly the whole of this fruit con- 

 sists of receptacle ; the fieshy part of the carpels, 

 as seen in the Apple and Medlar, being represented 



